en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Markta Project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation's Sixth Bureau (CSCEC Silk Road), has completed pile foundation construction and commenced the installation of the first above-ground floor's steel structure. With a total height of 203.5 meters, two underground floors and 37 above-ground floors, and a total construction area of approximately 140,000 square meters, this is the tallest building currently under construction in Mongolia.
The project site in Ulaanbaatar experiences severe winter cold, with temperatures often dropping to minus twenty degrees Celsius, typically halting outdoor construction. Facing schedule pressure, the project team developed a customized winter construction plan, optimizing concrete mix ratios to enhance frost resistance and establishing a multi-layered thermal insulation protection system. This includes inner film covering for moisture retention, mid-layer heating and insulation, and outer-layer thick thermal quilts, supplemented by multiple heaters maintaining constant temperature operations to ensure construction temperatures meet standards.
On the day of the first bored pile installation in March 2024, temperatures fell to minus 29 degrees Celsius. The team monitored the concrete's discharge, transport, and mold entry temperatures throughout the process, inspected equipment and pipelines for freeze damage risks, verified the condition of reinforcement cages, and ultimately completed the pouring. This construction process validated the team's capability to work under extreme cold conditions.
Steel structure installation requires high precision, but Ulaanbaatar experiences strong winds year-round and significant temperature differences between day and night. The project team optimized the hoisting process, monitored real-time changes in the steel structure's shape, and adjusted deviations. In October 2024, the first above-ground steel column, over ten meters long, was hoisted and precisely positioned onto the foundation platform.
Regarding material supply, local building materials are limited in variety, making items such as expansive waterstop adhesive difficult to procure. The project team relied on emergency shipments from the domestic supply chain to address these needs.
Local young engineer Nomin, who studied in China, is responsible for translation and coordination. During construction breaks, Chinese and Mongolian colleagues share food, and Nomin also mentioned that the China-Europe Railway Express has facilitated the transportation of project materials.
According to Pan Guoyong, Manager of the Civil Engineering Department, the project team ensures steady progress by continuously optimizing construction plans and technical details.
